FAMILIES of the Hercules crew members killed in Iraq when their plane was shot down in 2005 face at least another six-month wait before they learn what happened to their loved ones.
A pre-inquest hearing held at Devizes Magistrates' Courts today defined what the inquest will be looking at and how it will be held.
Wiltshire Coroner David Masters promised the families a "full, frank and fearless" inquiry into what happened in January 2005, in the desert north of Baghdad.
However, he rejected the idea of a jury inquest.
Among the issues that will be raised are the fact that an explosive-suppressant foam was not on board the doomed Hercules, and why it took 60 hours for coalition troops to secure the crash site.
Kellie Merritt, widow of the Australian crew member Paul Pardoel, said she was comforted by the start of the process.
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